Dispelling myths about snakes

Do snakes drink milk?

This question has intrigued both the devout, who offer pujas at snake mounds and offer milk, and activists who believe that such practices during Nagara Panchami are detrimental to the species.

On Thursday, People for Animals (PFA) strove to “kill the myth and not the snake” by taking 50 children from Balya Vidya Mandir — an orphanage run by Annapurna Charitable Trust — to their rescue and rehabilitation centre.

The children were told about the importance of snakes in the ecosystem. They were informed that snakes, being reptiles, do not consume milk.

Though Nagara Panchami is traditionally associated with the worship of snakes, activists say the practice of using live snakes for pujas has dwindled in and around Bengaluru over the past decade.

“Because of the tremendous awareness about the issue, calls about snakes being used in pujas have reduced. Now, we do not get such calls in Bengaluru,” said Sharath Babu, environmentalist and wildlife volunteer with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.